


Life is Warm Bodies – family!ArcadiaGays

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Series: Life is Warm Bodies [3]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Original Character(s), Romance, family!ArcadiaGays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 16:09:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5055205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The family!ArcadiaGays spin-off series is a go. I suggest reading my Life is Warm Bodies series before reading this. I will provide a very brief summary but there are references you probably won’t understand unless you read the Life is Warm Bodies and Life is Warm Bodies – The Untold Chapters – (at least Chapters 10 and 11).</p>
<p>Summary: Basically it’s a story based off of Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, which I continued after I had finished using the book as a guide. Max and Kate are recovering zombies. Chloe, Max, Kate and Victoria go to an adoption place after a cure has been found, because there are so many kids without parents now. Kate and Victoria adopt a 7 year old girl, who is also a recovering zombie, called Emily, while Chloe and Max adopt an 8 year old girl called Lisa. This story follows the Arcadia Gays, their parenting skills and the developing relationship between Emily and Lisa.</p>
<p>If you guys have any ideas for this story, feel free to send them. I love seeing different possibilities for a story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fearless

**Author's Note:**

> Emily and Lisa are older in this chapter. Emily is 13 and Lisa is 14. Multi-POV.  
> Chasemarsh/Pricefield/(not sure what I would call Emily and Lisa – any ideas guys?)

Life is Warm Bodies – family!ArcadiaGays  
Chapter 1 – Fearless

(Emily’s POV)  
The school bell rings. Thank god. It’s the end of classes for today. I need to time this right. If I don’t…  
‘Oh look, it’s the corpse.’  
Damn it.  
‘What are you doing here? No-one wants you around.’  
‘Why don’t you just go back to being dead, no one cares.’  
I am pushed up against a wall by a boy, who I assume is the leader.  
‘Please, leave me alone.’  
‘Oh, I don’t think so. We don’t want corpses round here, right guys?’  
His followers nod in agreement  
‘I’m not a corpse, not anymore.’  
‘Oh please. My dad says you never stop being a corpse. It’s only a matter of time before you all rise up and kill us.’  
‘I would never…’  
‘Yeah right.’  
I am shoved into some lockers.  
‘Not so tough now are you, corpse. You’re not even a little bit scary. Pathetic. You can’t even…’  
SLAM  
The kid in front of me stumbles backwards, looking dumbfounded. What happened? I turn to see Lisa. She looks furious.  
‘Don’t you dare touch her ever again, freak!’  
The boy shakes his head. He looks to me.  
‘Oh look, you’re so pathetic you can’t even fight your own battles.’  
He must be at least 16.  
‘Run along kid. There is no need for you to get dragged into this.’  
He turns back to me. His friends sneer.

(Lisa’s POV)  
‘I said, get away from her.’  
‘You don’t want to fuck with us, kid. Last chance.’  
THUD  
I grab the nearest thing I could find, which happened to be a football, and lob it at the boys head. He turns to me, looking furious.  
‘What the fuck? You are going to pay for that bitch. You want to play the hero, huh? Want to appear brave in front of your little girlfriend? That’s fine by me.’  
He charges towards me. I dodge out of the way. He almost falls over.  
‘That is it. Whore.’  
He swings at me. I duck and knee him in the groin.  
‘Oof.’  
One of his friends lunge at me. I punch him in the face. He howls in pain. Damn it feels good to beat these fuckers up.  
I feel something grab my ankle. It pulls me to the floor.   
‘Oh, now you’ve done it.’  
The boy pins me to the ground. I squirm, but he has my arms pinned underneath his body.  
‘You are going to be sorry that you ever…’  
THUD  
The boy writhes in pain.  
‘My face.’  
I am grabbed and dragged along.  
…  
(Max’s POV)  
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!  
Who could that be? I wonder if it’s Lisa. She is a bit late today.  
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!  
‘Ok, I’m coming, just give me a minute.’  
Can’t I have a single moment to myself? I open the door.  
‘Hi Mrs Caulfield.’  
‘Emily?  
‘Hi mum.’  
‘Lisa?’  
My eyes widen.  
‘What happened to your face?’  
Lisa tries to grin at me but winces.  
‘It’s kind of a long story. Can we come in?’  
The girls waltz in. Lisa flops onto the couch. Emily perches herself on the arm of the couch.  
Chloe walks in.  
‘Hey, you guys are back late…’  
She freezes.  
‘Lisa, your face…’  
‘I get it. My face looks like shit.’  
‘How?’  
‘She saved me.’  
Chloe and I turn to face Emily.  
‘I was being bullied and she stopped them, but…but… Lisa got hurt.’  
I shake my head.  
‘Like mother, like daughter.’  
Chloe looks indignant.  
‘Hey, I feel like that was a direct dig at me.’  
‘Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.’  
I still remember when I did this for Chloe. I’m glad Lisa takes after Chloe in this respect. She is fearless, brave and loyal, she doesn’t even need rewind powers to be like this.  
‘Ms Caulfield, I should do this. It’s my fault Lisa got hurt.’  
I smile at her.  
‘Well, I guess that’s up to Lisa.’  
I look to her.  
‘I’m cool with that.’  
These two are so cute.  
‘Ok then, feel free. I’ll call Kate and Victoria so they don’t freak out.’  
…  
(Emily’s POV)  
‘Ouch.’  
‘Sorry.’  
Lisa turns to me.  
‘It’s cool. It’s not your fault.’  
I try to hold back the tears. It is all my fault. If I had a backbone and could stand up for myself…  
‘Hey, it’s ok.’  
Lisa leans over and hugs me.  
‘They’re gone now.’  
‘But you got hurt. I’m useless.’  
‘No way girl, you’re the reason I got away as well as I did. If you hadn’t have intervened, I would have be eating liquidised mash potato for 3 weeks.’  
‘Ew, gross.’  
‘Exactly.’  
I squeeze her tighter. Lisa guides us both into a laying position.  
‘I’ll always be here to help you. No matter what.’  
I look into her eyes. They are determined.  
‘I’ll always be here for you too. Even if I’m not as brave as you.’  
Lisa laughs.  
‘Sure you are. I believe in you.’  
She smiles.  
How can she has so much faith in me?  
‘Why?’  
‘Why not?’  
‘All I’ve done is be a burden to you. You could have been so popular if you didn’t hang around with a loser like me…’  
‘Stop right there.’  
‘But…’  
‘I mean it. Don’t you dare continue. I chose you to be my best friend, and I couldn’t have picked a better person. If you keep shitting on yourself, then you’re also shitting on my taste in friends.’  
She brushes a strand of hair from my face.  
‘You are the best friend I could ever have.’  
I smile.  
‘Thanks, but you are a way better friend.’  
‘Let’s call it a draw. Deal?’  
She holds out her hand.  
‘Deal.’  
…

(Kate’s POV)  
The door opens.  
‘Oh Emily, honey, I was so worried.’  
Emily hugs me tight.  
‘I’m sorry.’  
‘Shh. It’s ok.’  
She releases me and turns to Ms Caulfield.  
‘Thank you so much for calling. Victoria and I were worried sick.’  
‘Don’t mention it Kate.’  
Lisa is at the door. She has a few bruises and cuts.  
‘What happened?’  
‘Mum, so guys tried to bully me, but Lisa rescued me.’  
I look to Lisa. I smile.  
‘Thank you for helping her.’  
Lisa shrugs.  
‘No worries Mrs Marsh.’  
She acts so tough and nonchalant, just like Chloe.  
‘Truly, I mean it.’  
Lisa nods.  
‘See you tomorrow Emily.’  
Emily looks over at me and then walks forward and gives Lisa a huge hug.  
‘Thank you.’ She whispers.  
I see Lisa smile. She waves as we leave. Emily grabs my hand as we walk.  
‘We are lucky, aren’t we Emily.’  
‘Huh?’  
‘I understand what you’re going through. I…I was bullied too. I felt so alone, like I didn’t have anyone to turn to. I went to some pretty dark places. The only person that got me through it was Max.’  
‘Ms Caulfield?’  
‘That’s right. Without her, I probably wouldn’t be here with you.’  
Emily tightens her grip on my hand.  
‘I wouldn’t want that.’  
I smile.  
‘Neither would I. My point being that you have Lisa, just like I had Max. Max could have ignored all the bullying, like everyone else, but she didn’t. She tried her hardest to help me. The small things she did for me got me through. She was there for me when no-one else was. She saved me.’  
Emily looks at me.  
‘Mum, you’re crying.’  
I wipe at my eyes.  
‘It’s emotional thinking about it.’  
Emily nods.  
‘As long as you have Lisa at you’re side, you don’t need to be afraid. If she is anything like Max, she will move heaven and earth to help her friends. Also, Lisa is just as fearless as Chloe. Chloe never backs down from a challenge to her friends. I’m always here to talk too, as is Victoria. My mother basically disowned me when I was going through everything.’  
I stop and look Emily in the eyes.  
‘I won’t ever do that to you. I promise. You are my beautiful, adorable daughter, and I wouldn’t trade you for anything.’  
Emily grins at me.  
‘I wouldn’t want any other parents. You guys are the best.’  
‘Come on, let’s get home. Victoria will be mad if we take too long.’  
‘Ok.’  
Emily grabs my hand again. We hold hands all the way home.  
…  
I open the door. We are nearly knocked over.  
‘Emily, thank god you’re safe.’  
She hugs us tight.  
‘V…Victoria. C…can’t breathe.’  
She lets go and rubs the back of her neck.  
‘Sorry.’  
I give Victoria a quick peck on the lips.   
‘Ew.’  
I laugh.  
‘Are you jealous? Come here. Let me give you a sloppy kiss too.’  
Emily squeals and runs.


	2. Hello Kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Lisa, hurry up. You’re going to be late. Emily will get worried.’  
> ‘One minute.’  
> That girl can’t ever be on time. Mind you, who am I to judge. I hear footsteps race down the stairs.  
> ‘Ready.’  
> ‘Great, let’s go.’  
> …  
> ‘Hey Emily, whatcha doing.’  
> ‘Shh.’  
> She points.  
> …  
> ‘I guess it’s time to go home… but we can’t leave you behind now can we?’
> 
> Lisa and Emily make an interesting discovery at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo guys. I’m missing my cats at the minute (if you’re wondering I have 5 cats and a stray cat that we feed), so this chapter is inspired by that. Only a week until my Reading Week and I can see them at home. :3 Hopefully they won’t give me the cold shoulder.

LIWB – Family!ArcadiaGays

Chapter 2 – Hello Kitty

(Chloe’s POV)

‘Lisa, hurry up. You’re going to be late. Emily will get worried.’

‘One minute.’

That girl can’t ever be on time. Mind you, who am I to judge. I hear footsteps race down the stairs.

‘Ready.’

‘Great, let’s go.’

We exit. Lisa is always so excitable in the mornings. Why you ask? Because she gets to see Emily of course. Those girls remind me so much of Max and I, it’s a bit scary.

‘Come on mum, Emily won’t be happy if I’m late again.’

I chuckle.

‘Slow down speedy Gonzalez.’

‘But…’

I grab her and give her a piggy back.

‘You ready?’

‘Yeah.’

I race down the street, Lisa squealing with delight. She is so easily pleased.

‘I think I spy me an Emily.’

…

(Kate’s POV)

I cross the road, Emily clinging onto my hand. She’s such a nervous girl.

‘Now sweetie, enjoy school today.’

‘I will. Where’s Lisa?’

I inspect my surroundings.

‘I think I see her there.’

Immediately her tight grip on my hand loosens, her body relaxes.

‘Emily.’

Lisa is waving frantically. She runs over. Emily gives me a hug.

‘Bye mum.’

I chuckle.

‘See you later.’

Emily bounds over to join Lisa. Chloe walks over to me.

‘They really are a pair, huh?’

‘Yeah. It’s sweet to see them like this.’

‘I’m glad they’ve got each other. There’s nothing worse than feeling alone.’

‘I hear that.’

‘Uh, sorry I didn’t mean to…’

I wave away her apology.

‘No need. It’s not like you’ve had the best start either. I’m not the only one who has been alone.’

‘Yeah.’

‘What matters is that we are here now and that we are happy.’

Chloe smiles.

‘Well, I don’t know about you but I am hella happy.’

‘Me too.’

…

(Lisa’s POV)

‘Hey Emily, whatcha doing.’

‘Shh.’

She points. There is a small white cat among the bushes.

‘I’m trying to get the kitty to come out.’

The cat looks at me and Emily. I crouch down.

‘Hey there little fella. You going to come out and say hello?’

The cat stares at us for a while. It slowly moves closer, cautiously.

‘That’s it.’

The cat finally relaxes and brushes up against Emily’s hand and my leg.

‘Aren’t you a pretty kitty?’

The cat purrs loudly.

‘It looks pretty hungry. I wonder if it has a home.’

‘I doubt it. Hold on.’

I get up and search my bag.

‘One minute… aha.’

I produce a tuna sandwich from my bag. I scrape out the filling. The cat sniffs the air and walks over to the tuna. He laps it up happily.

‘There you go kitty.’

I scratch the cats head. He purrs loudly and meows.

The school bell rings.

‘I guess it’s time to go home… but we can’t leave you behind now can we?’

The cat looks at us.

‘You want to follow us?’

We walk away and the cat trots behind us.

‘Awesome. Come on then kitty.’

…

(Max’s POV)

I hear the door open.

‘Hey Lisa, Emily.’

‘Hi mom.’

‘Hello Mrs Caulfield.’

‘I keep telling you Emily, call me Max. Lisa could learn a thing or two about manners from you.’

‘Hey, no fair mum.’

I shake my head, smiling and return to my computer.  Wait a minute. I turn my head back. There is a white cat behind the two girls.

‘Where did you come from little one?’

‘He was at school. We fed him and he followed us back.’

‘Oh, Chloe is going to love this.’

‘I’m going to love what?’

Chloe is behind me. Her hair is wet.

‘Look mum.’

Lisa points at the cat. Chloe stares in disbelief.

‘He looks like Bongo.’

‘Who is Bongo?’

‘My old cat. He… he got hit by a car.’

Chloe looks down at the floor. I rub her arm. She looks over and smiles at me.

‘God, I haven’t had a cat in ages. David wouldn’t let me have one before. Apparently they were a, how did he put it, ‘waste of resources.’

Chloe studies the cat.

‘He looks like he could do with some major feeding.’

She grabs her coat.

‘I’ll go see what I can find.’

She exits. I haven’t seen Chloe this excited for a long time.

‘Nice work girls.’

They smile. They sit on the couch. The cat follows them proudly and snuggles beside them.

I resume my work.

 

(Emily’s POV)

‘Aw, he is so cute. I wonder how long he’s been alone.’

‘A long time it looks like.’

‘He’s kind of like us, isn’t he?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Abandoned and alone. At least we had people who cared at the orphanage. This little guy didn’t have anyone.’

Lisa looks at me.

‘He does now. We’ll look after him.’

I tickle his tummy. He rolls over and purrs.

‘He is so cute.’

The door opens.

‘Jeez it’s cold out there.’

Mrs Price walks over to us.

‘Hey there. I managed to find some tins and stuff.’

Mrs Price goes into the kitchen. She grabs a bowl from the cupboard and puts the food into it. The cat’s ears prick at the noise of the tin opening. It gets up and wanders into the kitchen.

‘There you go. Eat up.’

The cat bounds over and starts to eat.

‘Whoa, slow down there. No-one’s going to steal it.’

Mrs Price laughs.

‘Now, what should we call you? You look so much like Bongo. Maybe Bongo Jr.’

She tickles Bongo under the chin.

Lisa grabs my arm.

‘I have an awesome idea.’

She pulls me upstairs.

‘Remember that box we found and were using as our pirate ship?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Bongo can sleep in it.’

‘That’s a great idea. He can be the ship’s cat.’

‘Someone’s got to keep those pesky mice away.’

Lisa goes over to her drawer. She pulls out an old blanket and lays it in the bottom.

‘Cool. Maybe we can put some of the old pillows in there too.’

I hear soft footsteps. Bongo has followed us.

‘Hey Bongo, look what we got for you.’

Bongo sniffs the box. Then he curls up in it.

‘Yes.’

Lisa high-fives me.

‘He’s probably going to end up on your bed, you do realise that.’

Lisa shrugs.

‘I don’t mind. At least he has somewhere to go if he needs some time alone.’

‘Look at him.’

I turn around, Mrs Caulfield and Mrs Price are standing there.

‘Nice work girls. Now, let’s get some food.’

…

(Max’s POV)

I enter Lisa’s room.

‘Chloe, come look.’ I whisper.

Lisa, Emily and Bongo are all curled up in the makeshift pirate ship. The girls are still in their hats and eye patches.

I grab my camera from my bag. SNAP. They stir, but don’t wake up.

‘Huh?’

Chloe comes up behind me.

‘Can they get any cuter?’

I kiss her nose.

‘I doubt it.’

I grab a blanket from Lisa’s bed and cover them.

‘Let’s leave them to it.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. 
> 
> If you haven’t seen already, I started a new story based on a post I saw on my Tumblr Dashboard. It’s a Maximum Victory Pizza Delivery AU, thought up by dannysgreenpants. It’s a pretty neat idea. Everyone wanted to read it but no-one was writing it, so I decided to. Hopefully everyone who wanted to read it sees it and enjoys it.
> 
> See you next time and stay safe out there.


	3. Does It Ever End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Juliet, is that… Max?’  
> ...  
> The young girl tugs at my sleeve. I follow her. She looks up at me.  
> ‘Were you a zombie?’  
> ‘Yeah I was.’  
> ‘Me too.’  
> ‘Really?’  
> She nods.  
> ‘I couldn’t tell.’  
> Emily smiles.  
> ‘That’s good. I don’t want to look like a zombie.’  
> ‘Why is that?’
> 
> Dana and Juliet finally reunite with Max, Chloe, Kate and Victoria. How are they going to handle Lisa and Emily?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based off of a prompt I got from Rolling Guy  
> “Wardson eventually stumbling into where Arcadia gays are or are found by someone. Dana is thrilled by the children, especially Emily because of her abortion. While Julie is a bit hesitant, she tries her best. Emily likes her better though because of her attitude but Julie doesn't know what to do.”  
> This is from Juliet’s POV.  
> Enjoy.

LIWB – family ArcadiaGays

Chapter 3 – Does It Ever End?

 

‘Juliet, is that… Max?’

I squint. It looks a bit like her.

‘Let’s go investigate.’

I grab Dana’s hand and we walk closer to the figure.

‘Is that the journalist in you wanting to investigate?’

‘Yep.’

‘We all know that ended so well last time.’

‘Hey.’

I nudge her.

‘I thought you said you weren’t going to bring that up anymore.’

‘I don’t remember saying that.’

As we get closer, it becomes apparent that it is indeed Max. She is with two children, probably around 7 or 8 years old and a taller figure. Dana looks at me and smiles.

‘Aren’t they so cute?’

‘I guess.’

I’m not really a kid person. I never know what I’m supposed to do.

‘Come on, let’s go talk to her.’

We approach Max.

‘Hey.’

Max turns around. A smile slowly forms on her face.

‘Dana, Juliet.’

She runs up to us and hugs us.

‘Where have you been?’

‘Long story.’

‘Yo, Chloe. Dana and Juliet are here.’

‘What was that Max?’

Chloe walks over, the two kids in toe. She looks surprised.

‘Dude, where have you guys been?’

‘Someone couldn’t help but get us into trouble and turn into a zombie.’

Dana looks at me.

‘I’ve said sorry like a hundred times.’

‘Then… I turned too and we’ve just been wandering around for ages, trying to find people we knew, with little success, at least until now.

Dana looks around.

‘Where is Rachel?’

Chloe looks at the ground.

‘She… she’s not here anymore.’

Dana walk over and hugs her.

‘Sorry.’

‘It’s…it’s fine. At least Max came back.’

I turn to Max.

‘And where have you been? You went missing for months. I missed you snooping through my computer.’

‘Well, I’m not sure on the details yet, but I died and turned. Then I found Chloe.’

Max looks over at Chloe, who smiles.

‘Then the cure was found and we’ve just been here ever since.’

Dana walks over to the girls.

‘And who are you cuties?’

One of the girl stands up straight.

‘I’m Lisa.’

She holds out her hand. Dana shakes it.

‘Nice to meet you Lisa.’

Lisa. I think I’ve heard that name before.

‘Wait. Lisa as in Lisa the plant.’

Chloe smiles.

‘Let’s hope not. Otherwise poor Lisa here won’t last very long.’

Max hits Chloe playfully round the head.

‘Ow, that was uncalled for.’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘I’m not letting you take her swimming.’

‘That’s it Price, you’ve asked for it.’

Max proceeds to chase Chloe.

‘You’ve got to catch me first.’

Nothing changes. Dana turns to the other girl.

‘How about you sweetie?’

The girl hides a bit behind Lisa.

‘E…Emily.’

Emily looks over to me. I never know what to do around kids, so I just smile. She smiles shyly back.

‘Where’s Victoria?’        

‘Chloe, g…get off me.’

Chloe has Max pinned to the ground and is tickling her. She lets go of Max and stands up.

‘She and Kate have just gone for a bit of a walk, we’re looking after these rascals.’

Chloe ruffles the Lisa’s hair. Lisa bats away her hand.

‘Mum, cut it out.’

Dana looks confused.

‘Kate’s here?’

‘Yeah. In fact, I think I see them now.’

Chloe waves over to two figures. They wave back.

‘This is so surreal. I never thought we’d find anyone again.’

‘You should come over to our house. We have lots to talk about.’

…

‘Is it ok if I use your bathroom?’

‘Sure, it’s…’

Emily comes over and pulls on my sleeve.

Max smiles.

‘Emily sweetie, can you show Juliet where it is?’

The girl nods.

‘Ok, that’s settled then.’

The young girl tugs at my sleeve. I follow her. She looks up at me.

‘Were you a zombie?’

‘Yeah I was.’

‘Me too.’

‘Really?’

She nods.

‘I couldn’t tell.’

Emily smiles.

‘That’s good. I don’t want to look like a zombie.’

‘Why is that?’

Emily looks to the floor. She fiddles around with a bracelet on her wrist.

‘The kids at school bully me because of it. They say I’m a freak.’

_‘Hey Max, have you checked out Kate’s hot video yet?’_

_‘Kate’s not like that and you know it.’_

_‘Really? Check her out and tell me what she’s like.’_

I stop.

‘Hey, you ok?’

Emily looks at me with earnest eyes I don’t deserve. I bend down.

‘Emily, I’m so sorry that you have to put up with that. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible it is.’

Emily grins.

‘It’s fine. Lisa’s here to protect me. She’s so cool.’

Just like Max was there for Kate.

‘If there is anything I can do, let me know.’

‘Ok.’

She leads me to a door.

‘Here’s the bathroom. I’ll wait outside.’

I nod and enter the room.

‘Does it ever end?’

I look at myself in the mirror. My skin is still a sort of pale grey. It’s slowly getting better.

All I leave is a path of destruction. First Kate, then Dana. I couldn’t keep her from harm. I was the one who hurt her. I turned her.

Now this poor little girl has to put up with it. No-one learns until it’s too late, me included.

I splash some water on my face. I exit the bathroom. Emily is sitting on the floor. When I exit, she stands up.

‘Let’s get back downstairs.’

‘Lead the way.’

…

I sit down in one of the couches next to Dana. Emily sits at my feet. Lisa comes over and sits next to Emily. She looks up at Dana and me.

‘Can I take a picture?’

Dana smiles.

‘Sure kiddo.’

Lisa looks thrilled. She walks around, trying to find a good angle.

SNAP.

Lisa grabs the photo. She hands it to Emily, looking proud. She is so like Max it’s unreal.

Emily smiles.

‘It’s cool.’

She hands it to me. Dana leans in close to me to have a look.

‘It’s amazing.’

Lisa looks at us.

‘You can have it if you want.’

‘We’d love it.’

‘It’s a really great shot.’

…

I look at my watch.

‘Jeez, is that the time? We’d better get going.’

Max walks over to us.

‘You can always stay here. You don’t have a house here yet, right?’

Dana looks at me.

‘She has a point.’

‘If you’re sure. We’ll sleep down here then.’

‘I’ll go grab the spare blankets. Come on girls, give me a hand.’

Max exits the room, the two girls racing behind her.

Dana squeezes my hand.

‘I thought you didn’t like kids.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Don’t play dumb with me girl. You and Emily.’

‘I just don’t get why she wants to hang around me.

Dana kisses my forehead.

‘Because my dear, you are a great person to be with.’

Max returns with blankets and pillows, Emily and Lisa racing behind her.

‘Let’s make a pillow fort.’

Dana looks at me.

‘It looks like we have an exciting night ahead of us.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We shall probably see more of Juliet and Dana’s interactions with the kids. Poor Juliet has no idea. See you next time.


	4. Face Paint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Halloween inspired chapter this time. It’s only a short one this time. I literally posted this as Halloween finished where I am. Nailed it.  
> Enjoy.

Chapter 4 – Face Paint

 

(Chloe’s POV)

‘Come on, mum.’

‘Wait up my little pirate.’

Lisa is so excited for this. It’s the first time since the outbreak that she has celebrated Halloween.

‘But we’re going to be late, again. Emily is going to be so mad.’

I grab the keys.

‘Max, hurry up.’

She all but runs down the stairs. She nearly falls at the bottom. I catch her.

‘Thanks.’

I sneak a quick kiss.

‘You’re welcome.’

‘Hey, no fair stealing kisses.’

‘Think of it as my thanks.’

‘I’ll let it slide this once.’

I turn to Lisa.

‘Ok, we are good to go.’

‘Yay. I can’t wait. Emily and I are going to be pirates together. It’s going to be so fun. I can’t wait.’

…

‘Lisa!’

Emily runs up to her and hugs her.

‘Ready to go?’

She shakes her head.

‘Not quite.’

We enter the house. Emily runs into the living room. I follow. What a sight I see. Victoria Chase is halfway through a make-up transformation.

‘I never thought I would see the day.’

‘Shut it Price.’

I smirk at her.

‘Mum, hold still.’

‘Sorry Emily.’

Look at Victoria getting in the Halloween spirit.

_‘You know you want to join in.’_

_‘No I don’t. It’s a stupid holiday.’_

Victoria used to hate Halloween.

…

(Past – after the outbreak)

‘What are you going to dress up as this year?’

I stare at Rachel in disbelief.

‘Isn’t it kind of pointless now? I mean I love Halloween as much as the next person, but after the outbreak it’s basically been Halloween every day, with all the zombies.’

Rachel looks over to Victoria for help.

‘I’m going to have to go with Price on this one.’

Rachel pouts.

‘You two are such spoil sports.’

‘What would you even dress up as?’

Rachel thinks. She grins.

‘How about a zombie?’

Victoria scoffs.

‘Oh yes because that is such a good idea. I totally want to get shot. I can’t think of a more fun way to spend my time.’

Rachel throws a pillow at Victoria.

‘Shut up with your logic. I just wanted to have some fun. Besides, who says it wouldn’t be fun.’

She probably isn’t going to let this go.

‘Fine. I’ll do it.’

She bounds over to me.

‘Oh this is going to be so fun. There is no taking it back now.’

What have I let myself into?

Rachel walks over to Victoria.

‘You know you want to join in.’

‘No I don’t. It’s a stupid holiday.’

‘Oh, you are not getting away that easily.’

Rachel pins Victoria to the bed.

‘What the fuck are you doing?’

‘Chloe, grab the face paint, quickly.’

‘Get off me.’

‘No can do Victoria. You are going to have some fun even if it kills me.’

…

(Present)

Here she is now, voluntarily being made up by her kid. The concept itself is something I would never have even imagined.

‘Done.’

Emily smiles and looks proud.

Victoria looks over at Kate.

‘What do you think?’

Kate goes up to Victoria and kisses her.

‘I think it looks great.’

If Victoria didn’t have so much face paint on, I bet I would see her blush. She turns to Emily.

‘You did a great job sweetie.’

‘I’ll second that. Victoria looks great for once.’

Victoria stares daggers at me.

‘Come here and say that.’

‘No. I value my life.’

‘Wise choice Price.’

‘I wouldn’t want to put you through the embarrassment of failing to catch me again.’

SNAP.

‘Nice shot Victoria.’

Victoria rolls here eyes.

‘Are you ever going to stop taking embarrassing photos of me?’

‘Nope.’

‘Ugh.’

Emily and Lisa walk over.

‘Mum, can you take a picture of us?’

Max smiles.

‘Sure. Everybody say ‘booty’’

‘Booty.’

Max inspects the photo. Her lips quirk upwards. She hands it over to me.

‘Who does this remind you of?’

I look at the photo. It’s almost identical to the one me and Max took such a long time ago.

‘A certain selfie taking hipster and a blue haired punk.’

‘You got it in one Chloe.’

I feel an impatient tugging at my sleeve.

‘Mum, can I put face paint on you?’

‘Well, if Victoria can do it, then I can too.’

Lisa’s face lights up.

‘You’re going to look so awesome.’

‘I don’t doubt it.’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy(ed) Halloween. See you next time.


	5. You Are Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa turns her back for five seconds and all hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. It’s been so long since I last updated this, too long. I have more time now, so I thought I’d update it. Here, Emily and Lisa are 14 and 15.   
> Enjoy.

**Lisa’s POV**

I walk out of the bathroom.

_That’s better._

I see a group of people whispering.

‘That was so brutal. Poor girl.’

‘I hope she’s ok.’

‘Those guys are so fucking horrible.’

A couple of girls look frantically around, calling out Emily’s name. One of the girls speaks.

‘She really looked upset. Those guys are such jerks. Have you found Lisa yet?’

The other girl shakes her head.

‘No.’

_This doesn’t sound good._

I stride up to the two girls. They are a couple of girls from mine and Emily’s science class. We’ve gotten pretty friendly with them. Sam and Liz. They are together and so fucking cute. Sam is from the UK. She moved here last year. Liz and her immediately hit it off. It didn’t take long for them to hook up. Now they are inseparable.

‘What did I miss?’

They turn to face me. Liz looks relieved.

‘Lisa, thank god you’re here. We were trying to look for you.’

_I go to the bathroom for five minutes and all hell breaks loose._

‘What happened?’

Sam sighs, running her fingers through her hair.

‘Those arseholes are at it again. What do they have against you guys?’

I shrug.

_I don’t care about that now._

I look around for Emily. She is nowhere to be seen. My heart drops.

‘Where is Emily?’

They look at each other.

‘They said some pretty mean things to her. We stopped them as soon as we saw, but I think they had been at it for a while. Everyone was just staring at them. She ran away.’

Sam shakes with rage.

‘They are just as bad as those fuckers.’

She looks around at the crowd.

‘YOU HEAR THAT! YOU’RE ALL AS BAD AS THOSE TOSSPOTS!’

Liz restrains Sam.

‘Come on Sam. Calm down.’

Sam struggles.

‘Let me go, Liz. I want to show these bastards they messed with the wrong person.’

_God fucking damn it._

I walk over to Sam.

‘Sam, we need to find Emily. We can be mad later.’

She exhales.

‘Yeah.’

She straightens herself, staring daggers at everyone. They all disperse. Sam has a very effective death glare.

‘Where is she?’

Liz rubs her face with her hand.

‘We’ve been trying to track her down, but we haven’t found her yet. Do you have any idea where she would be?’

_I have some idea, yeah._

‘I might know where she is. Just keep checking and I’ll text you if I find her. You do the same.’

The two nod at me. I run off, looking for the room.

_She has to be in there._

I expertly dodge the oncoming people.

‘Hey, watch where you’re going.’

_I have no time for this._

I keep running, never looking back.

_Hold on Emily…I’m coming._

I stop abruptly, panting. The room reads ‘Storage Room’. I open the door, praying that she is there. I can’t see, it’s pitch black. I hear a small sob.

‘Emily? Are you in there?’

I hear shuffling.

‘L…Lisa?’

I sigh in relief. I quickly drop Sam and Liz a text telling them I’ve found her. I turn on the light and close the door. I walk over to where Emily is sat, hugging her knees. I sit down beside her. She slowly snuggles up to me. I place an arm around her, she puts her head on my shoulder.

‘What happened?’

Emily sniffles.

‘They…they said a lot of hurtful things. They told me I was a… a fucking ugly bitch and that no-one would ever love me.’

_When I get my hands on those bastards…_

I take Emily’s hand in mine and intertwine our fingers, gently stroking her hand with my thumb.

‘Emily, listen to me. You are in no way ugly. You couldn’t be further from it. You’re beautiful.’

I suppress the urge to sing ‘You Are Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera.

_Now is not the time._

Emily blushes slightly.

‘Don’t let those asshats put you down. You’re smart, funny and beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to have you, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.’

Emily is silent for a few moments. She bites her lip, looking troubled.

‘Lisa…’

She sounds hesitant.

‘Yeah.’

I can feel her shaking slightly.

_What’s got her like this?_

‘I think…I think I like you.’

My mind whirs. Does she mean…?

‘I mean really like you.’

My mind goes blank.

_She…_

She buries her head in my shoulder.

‘Just, don’t hate me for it.’

_What? Why would I hate her? Oh. Emily…_

‘Emily…please look at me…’

She raises her head. I place my forehead against hers, bumping our noses slightly.

‘How could I hate you because of that? My moms are the biggest gays in Arcadia.’

That gets a giggle from her. I look deeply into her eyes.

‘I didn’t realise you felt that way. If I had…if I had I would have done this sooner.’

Emily looks confused.

‘What?’

I lean in and kiss her. She looks shocked for a moment, but then she closes her eyes and moves her lips gently against mine. I feel electric shocks passing through my body. Emily tangles her fingers in my hair, gently pulling. I test my luck and run my tongue along the inside of her lip. She allows it to enter.

_Oh man. This took a quick turn for the better._

I pull her as close as I possibly can.

_How can she think no-one could ever love her? She is everything to me._

I pull away slowly. Emily smiles at me. I grin back.

‘So, nobody is going to love you, huh?’

Emily shakes her head, smiling.

‘You always were a weird one Lisa.’

‘Damn right.’

Emily sighs and snuggles closer to me. She looks up at me.

‘What…what does this mean?’

Her eyes show uncertainty. I shift towards her.

‘Now we spend our time doing stupid romantic shit like watching romantic comedies, laying underneath the stars, talking for hours and just enjoying each other’s company. Sound good to you?’

She beams at me.

‘Yeah. It sounds perfect.’

…

**Chloe’s POV**

I hear the door close. I’m sat on the couch. I call out.

‘Hey, how was school?’

I hear hurried footsteps run into the room and Lisa flies through the air. I have to quickly evacuate the couch.

‘Jeez. Someone is happy, huh?’

Lisa grins.

_I haven’t seen her so happy in ages._

‘Yeah. Guess what?’

I stroke my chin and sit back down on the couch.

‘Hmm… I dunno. What?’

Lisa whispers in my ear. I take a sip of my drink.

‘Emily and I kissed today.’

I spit out my drink and cough.

_Well, that came out of nowhere._

‘How did that come about?’

Lisa looks a little sad.

‘Some douchebags were bullying her and she ran to the Storage Room, where she always does. They told her some really horrible stuff. I told her it was all bull crap and she said she liked me, so I kissed her.’

I nudge Lisa and grin at her.

‘Way to go my little trooper. Come here and give me a hug.’

I wrap my arms around her.

‘Mom…’

Max walks in.

‘I feel like I shouldn’t ask.’

I wink at Max.

‘Lisa got some action today.’

Lisa looks horrified.

‘Mom!’

Max giggles.

‘What happened?’

‘Our little girl is growing up. She kissed Emily.’

Max covers her mouth with her hands.

‘Are you serious?’

Lisa smiles proudly.

‘We’re girlfriends.’

_She is so hella cute._

Max walks over and joins the hug pile.

‘That’s so great. I think that means I won our bet, Price.’

I reluctantly hand over $10.

…

**Kate’s POV**

I hear the door shut quietly.

_I guess Emily’s home._

‘Hey sweetie. Did school go ok?’

Emily walks into the room, dazed.

‘Yeah.’

I pat the space beside me.

‘Come here. It looks like you have something on your mind.’

She ambles over and sits down.

‘Well, the first part of my day wasn’t great. I got bullied again.’

I give her a hug.

‘I’m sorry.’

Emily holds me tight.

‘The second part more than made up for it.’

I look down at my little girl. I know she is 14, but she will always be that little quiet 7 year old girl to me.

‘How so?’

Emily blushes slightly.

‘Well, I ran away. Lisa found me and she said some really awesome stuff. Then…’

Her blush intensifies.

‘…she kissed me.’

My eyes widen in shock. Then I smile.

‘That’s great.’

Emily grins.

‘Yeah and then she said that we would do romantic stuff and spend lots of time together.’

I squeeze her tight. Victoria walks in.

‘Victoria, our little girl is growing up.’

She raises an eyebrow.

‘I sense a story there.’

She walks over and sits down next to Emily.

‘Mom, Lisa and I are going out.’

Victoria looks thoughtful for a moment. Then she ruffles Emily’s hair.

‘I wondered how long it would take.’

Emily looks curiously.

‘You…you thought we would.’

Victoria nods.

‘You’ve spent so much time together it would be almost impossible for you not to.’

Emily smiles.

‘She makes me happy.’

I see Victoria’s eyes soften.

‘Then, that is all that matters. This calls for a celebration. Let’s get take out tonight. Your choice.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this one guys. I’ll get the Untold Chapters story updated soon. See you next time.

**Author's Note:**

> This was so nice to write. I have a feeling that I’m going to enjoy writing this spin-off series. I hope you guys liked it.  
> Remember, if you have any ideas for this or any other of my stories, feel free to send them either via PM, comment or on Tumblr – nothing-you-can-prove (I have an ask box now). Have an awesome day and see you next time.


End file.
